 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: oboi
Date: 2012-01-15 18:05
I'm looking at the forecast for the next week and it's in the mid -20's to mid -30's C (-10 to -30 F). My poor little horns!! Has anyone ever put a handwarmer (magic bag, clickwarmers, etc.) inside their case cover? I'm just wondering if the differential in temperature across the case (I'm assuming the heat from one of these things would be quite local) would be a worse thing than without.
I normally put my oboe in my heavily-padded backpack, so I could wrap it in an additional blanket and stick a handwarmer inside the bag or in another compartment, to keep the average temp in the bag higher but not scorching near the instrument. The horn can't fit in a backpack, so I was thinking of sticking it in a duffel bag with another blanket and putting another handwarmer in there somewhere.
Oh, and any of you with BAM cases? Do you think the lack of a cover is harmful in very cold weather? I was also thinking of "double-bagging" my BAM double case.
Post Edited (2012-01-15 18:07)
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-01-15 19:33
Hand warmers are not a good idea. They probably wouldn't work through the bankets, you definitely don't want to the against the instrument, and they wouldn't effect a large enough area.
The way I see it, cracking occurs because of two things, water and cold. In the cold, the wood of your oboe shrinks, but the water from playing expands. I'm pretty sure this is what causes cracking. Your best bet is to keep it in a bunch of blankets, or bags in bags even better, when not playing. You want to slow the temperature change as much as possible. I don't believe you can stop it completely, so don't worry about the instrument at -20 but how it gets there is more important. Maybe its best to not play if ur practice room is too cold, or warm your room well before playing, then just open the case for a while before assembling the instrument so it can adjust.
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Author: oboi
Date: 2012-01-15 19:54
In general, I avoid playing prior to going out for the day just so there isn't any water sitting inside it. After playing is what I'm usually worried about, when I have a wet oboe and I'm right away traipsing outside to wait for the bus, going to the next rehearsal way across town, going home, etc. I swab like a madwoman whenever there is a break so hopefully it's relatively dry when I pack up. Haha, I'm more worried about the horns than myself. Better double-parka myself, too.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2012-01-15 20:14
You're best insulating it as best as you can so the temperature in the case drops slowly rather than suddenly, then when it comes to warming it up, leave the case open for several minutes to acclimatise to the room temperature where you're playing and also keep the top joint warm by wrapping it in a flannel or cloth and holding it with both hands. This will lower the amount of condensation forming in the bore or blocking the 8ve vents.
If you're playing a lot in less than favourable conditions, either invest in an oboe with a plastic top joint or a completely plastic instrument instead of putting a wooden one at risk of cracking.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-01-15 20:34
Yes, you are going to have a bit of difficulty if you are going outside. I just read Oboe Craigs post, and think this is ur best best:
Swab
Put in normal case
Blanket around case
Inside igloo refrigerator case "no ice "
Blanket around that
Duffle bag
I havent tried this, but it makes sense, and should provide ample protection. Traveling in that weather without a car must be brutal.
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Author: GoodWinds ★2017
Date: 2012-01-16 07:55
If DRY local HEAT is not good for PEOPLE (and it's not recommended, if one has joint pain etc), then I wouldn't advise using it for wooden instruments. It can be very drying, and that is NOT what you want.
I like the heavy-duty insulation approach and now that I live in Winter again, should use it more often.
GoodWinds
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Author: kimber
Date: 2012-01-16 11:31
I tried that a couple times when my instrument had to be in the car for a while before I needed it and it was below zero out. I generally have minimal time to warm-up before needing to play as I'm just showing up for a 30 min out-of-town lesson. The hand pad will heat up just the area touching it...the case was warm but the inside of the case only slightly so and the joint posts were still cool to the touch. I did not put one inside the case. You would probably need 3-4 around the case to make a big difference.
I've had better success with putting the case in a refrigerator/freezer bag. On the coldest days, I will heat a small blanket in the dryer to a warm feel and loosely wrap the case in the blanket before putting it all in the bag.
These have been successful in warding off cracking. The keys aren't shockingly icy anymore at the start of the lesson. I worry more about trying to keep the warmth (slow down the cooling) on the drive home as the oboe is warm and moist.
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Author: johnt
Date: 2012-01-16 15:45
The best way to warm up the oboe (IAW Peter Hurd) without all the above folderol is to put the top & middle joints under your arms (key sides toward body/reed ferrule butted against armpit/middle joint tenon butted against armpit) & hold them tightly in this manner for at least five minutes while your reed soaks. Then they're guaranteed to be at body temperature. Check it out; it's on his website. He calls it "hatching"…
http://oboes.us/resources/care.html
Best,
john
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2012-01-16 16:42
I used to do just what johnt suggests, until last summer when, setting up for an early-am public practice, I absent-mindedly reached for my cup of coffee (forgetting that the top joint of my oboe was under that same arm).
The results were not pretty, even though it fell just a couple of feet onto a carpeted surface. Bent the rod that holds all the top-joint keys. I had to borrow an oboe for the performance (since I was already using my backup, owing to the fact that my primary had cracked -- again -- earlier in the month). It was another 6 weeks before I had both my oboes back and working again.
Peter Perret, whose lovely older Jarde oboe I borrowed, told me that his routine is to warm the outside of the oboe in his hands, and blow gently down the bore (without a reed) until a drip line is established. Once the drip line is established, the theory is that the water will follow it, and not wander off into the trill keys or half-hole or octave vent.
That works pretty well. What also works just wonders for me is something I read on another thread on this board, from Peter Hurd, and that is to use Woodwind-All in the octave vents, trills, and other keys that tend to take on water.
I had heard of this technique long ago, but hesitated to try it -- didn't want to make matters worse. But I figured if Peter Hurd does it, I could safely try! And it works a charm. The water avoids those keys like the plague now. I haven't had water in the treated keys at all ever since. Thanks, both Peters!
Susan
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-01-16 17:32
While all these suggestions are great, can I interject on the danger of water:
I do not believe water will be your concern until you instrument starts it's cooling process. The danger from cracking is always overexpansion, no matter where it happens. Water expands when it freezes, and your instrument most certainly will not feeze when you play it, but unfortunately as you play, the instrument is going to take on water, even if you oil religously. So slowing the cooling process so the instrument can dry out should be a safeguard against this happening.
When you first begin to play the instrument, the danger is most likely the inside of the bore expanding more quickly than the outside. This is why it's important to heat the outside of the instrument to the temperature you will be blowing into the instrument, and then heating the inside.
Accidents do happen, and Susan I'm sorry for yours, it's seems like a terrible event. I still think the "hatching" process is the way to go. Maybe for those of us who multi-task once too often, it best to place the oboe on our stomachs, under our shirts, so there's a stable platform to ward off potential error.
As a beginning oboist (woodwind doubler), the Peter Hurd website is a great resource.
Andrew
http://www.youtube.com/user/DrewSorensenMusic
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Author: ptarmiganfeather
Date: 2012-01-16 19:03
I hear you about the -20. We are at -15 in the heat of the day here in Alaska. On top of that we have almost record snow. My wrists are so sore from shoveling that it's hard to play sometimes.
I just thought of something. If you felt like being crafty, you could make a bean bag heater out of some thicker cotton fabric filled with barley or split peas. Similar to a microwave neck warmer like this. http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/
I imagine that it would have to be about an inch thick and wide enough to cover both flat sides of your oboe case cover. So you may have to quilt it a little bit. Then put the wrapped case in a duffel bag or whatever. The neck warmers hold heat for a good while with a little zap in the microwave.
If the idea doesn't pan out you aren't out too much money. Barley and scrap fabric are pretty inexpensive. I would make one but I have a plastic oboe.
Post Edited (2012-01-16 19:10)
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Author: kimber
Date: 2012-01-16 23:11
johnt - I agree that 'hatching' is an ideal method and easily accomplished when getting to a rehearsal or such. But for students quickly coming in for lessons or such, there usually isn't anyplace to take off your coat and gloves before you go into the lesson, let alone safely unpack your instrument. These other 'alternatives' do not replace warming up the joint, but may help speed up the process so the actual lesson can begin more expediently.
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-01-17 00:41
Kimber,
Maybe a good idea would be to ask your teacher if you'd be allowed to arrive early. It's important to be 15 minutes early to anything in life anyway, just to eliminate potential error. I frequently arrive 45 minutes early to pit orchestra gigs, to settle my nerves and to lessen the chance of any problems. Arriving 15 minutes early will give you plenty of time to safely adjust your instrument. If it's not possible to arrive this early, maybe it would be best to adjust your lesson time. If you aren't the driver of the situation, maybe it's best to have a discussion between you, your teacher, and your driver to come to an agreeable solution. If you don't do it but for one reason, do it for the fact that you will not be getting the full output from your lesson, if your tuning is being effected by a cold instrument. Good luck.
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